She
by jayhogartismyangel
Summary: Michael Corinthos was damaged. No one could change that,no one could make him believe differently--except her. Michael Corinthos/Clare Edwards
1. Chapter 1

**She's An Angel**

Michael Corinthos III sighed and stared out the window of the car,watching as the trees passed by. His mother,Carly Jax sat upfront with his stepfather,Jasper Jax.

"Your going to like it in Toronto,Michael. You and Morgan will make new friends,go to a new school once summer is over. And wait until you see the house! It's so quaint and it's in a quiet neighborhood with kids your age." Jax said as he continued to drive.

Michael didn't say anything. He just continued to look out the window as he brought a shaking hand up to touch the scar on the back of his head. The place where the bullet had gotten lodged. He wished his mom and stepfather would quit pretending as if everything was okay. He wished that they would just come to the realization that he was broken and damaged. Unfixable. He knew that his mother wanted him to be the same little boy he was before he got shot and was in a coma for that full year of his life--but he couldn't be. A bullet and the lifestyle he'd grown up in for the first thirteen years of his existence had taken away normalcy. It was hard knowing you were so different than other kids your age. Especially when you were fourteen years old. The age when everyone judged---everyone.

Suddenly,the car stopped.

"We're here!" Carly announced softly,turning in her seat to look at her two sons. Michael was still staring out the window as if he hadn't heard her and that convinced Carly that Jax's idea of moving here had been the best one. Soon her little boy would be on his way to recovery. She got Morgan out of his seat and pulled him into her arms as she got out of the car and stared up at her new home. Her new beginning.

Michael climbed out of the backseat,reluctantly and crossed his arms as soon as his feet hit the pavement. He shuffled his feet a little.

Jax and Carly shared sad and worried glances to one another. Finally,Jax pasted a smile onto his lips and in his accented voice said,"Hey Michael,how 'bout you take Morgan inside and you two can pick out your rooms?" He dangled the house key,on a key chain on one long finger.

The quiet red headed boy nodded and mumbled,"OK".

----

Two hours later,after picking out rooms and moving their boxes into the appropriate rooms and setting up their beds,Carly,Jax,and Morgan decided to go out for pizza. Michael declined and Carly promised to bring some back for him.

As soon as his parents' car drove off,he walked down the stairs to get a drink from the cooler in the kitchen. He walked back into the living room with a can of Cherry Coke in his hand that he sipped at. The doorbell suddenly rang so he sat down his drink and went to answer the door.

A young teenage girl--probably around fourteen or fifteen stood in the doorway smiling at him. She held a saran-wrapped plate in her hand and wore a mint green tank top,tan capri pants and a pair of green and white flats. Her thick,silky light brown hair had a green headband in it. "Hi!" She said cheerfully,looking at him with her bright blue eyes behind her glasses. "Welcome to the neighborhood,I live next door. I'd have been here to welcome you earlier but I was at the mall with my friend Alli." She grinned from ear to ear at him and held out the plate in her hands. "I made chocolate chip cookies for you and your family. It's mine and my sister's recipe.

"Thanks." He uttered,giving her a little half smile as he took the plate from her.

"My name's Clare Edwards. I'm fourteen,I will be fifteen in a week." She told him as she held out her hand for him to shake.

Michael sat the plate down and took her hand into his grasp. "Michael. Michael Corinthos." He told her simply. "Thank you for the cookies. My mom and brother will love them."

Clare grinned and tucked her hair behind her ear and shrugged. "It isn't a problem. Just being neighborly."

The two teens stood there staring at one another for a few more moments. "Well I have to go." Clare said,backing away slowly. "I have to go to church in the morning. But since it's Summer,I can stay out later. I can take you to meet my friends and show you around town if you want. Just call me or stop by in the morning and we can go over some plans." She smiled and waved before walking off the porch and to her own house.

Michael smiled softly. Maybe he'd take her up on her offer.

**Next Part:Carly,Jax,and Morgan meet Clare. Clare introduces Michael to her friends and Michael informs Clare of why he moved to Canada.**


	2. Chapter 2

**She**

**Part Two**

Michael awakened to the ringing of the phone and his brother's childish giggle. His eyes slowly adjusted to the light that poured in from the window of his bedroom. He sat up against the pillows and stretched his arms above his head.

"Michael mommy said for me to give you the phone!" Morgan said leaning over his older brother to hand him the cordless phone.

Michael took the phone with a furrowed brow and put it to his ear. His eyes watched as Morgan climbed up on the bed to sit on his knees beside him. "Hello?" He asked groggily.

"Hi! Michael,I know I said for you to call me but I wanted to tell you that I will get out of church around noon but by the time I get home and change,It will be around twelve thirty. I hope I didn't wake you." Clare's sweet voice filled his ear.

He sat up more,a smile forming upon his lips at the sound of her voice. He ran a hand through his fiery hair. "No you didn't wake me." He answered,shaking his head although he knew that she couldn't see the movement.

"Good. You certainly needed rest after just moving in yesterday. Anyway,I am getting ready to get in the shower for church but I just thought that it would be a good idea to discuss our meeting up later." She said as she pulled a pastel floral print dress from her closet. She went to her dresser and held the phone between her ear and shoulder as she grabbed her undergarments. A headband that matched her dress perfectly was pulled out as well.

"Um okay." He said,blushing shyly at the mention of her in the shower. "So you'll be here at twelve thirty?"

"Yeah. Anyway,I should hang up now. See you soon Michael! Oh and by the way,bring a swimsuit! We're gonna go swimming at my friend Conner's godfather's home. They just installed the pull like a week ago." She chirped as she hung up her phone with a smile and went to her bathroom,shutting the door carefully.

----------

"It's so nice to meet you!" Clare said as she shook Michael's mom's hand.

Carly smiled at the girl. "It's nice to meet you too Clare. Those cookies you made for us were delicious! Don't tell my husband though. Ever since I got pregnant he has been forcing me to eat....healthy." She crinkled her nose in disgust at the last word.

Clare giggled at the words as a tall,blond,handsome man walked downstairs with a little boy in his arms. "I see we have company!" The man said in a rich,accented tone as he put the little boy down on the ground and held out his hand to Clare. "I'm Jasper Jax. And you must be Clare Edwards. Michael couldn't stop talking about you."

"You're pretty." Morgan said softly,staring up at the teenage girl shyly.

She smiled and ran a hand through her side ponytail. "Thanks. Your adorable." She said,kneeling down to Morgan's height and holding out her hand for him to shake.

Just then,Michael came barreling down the stairs in a red NickelBack tee-shirt and a pair of camouflage shorts. A pair of Sketchers sneakers were on his feet. He had a bag filled with his swimtrunks,sunscreen,and a beachtowel in his left hand. He stopped short,breath catching in his throat when his gaze landed on Clare dressed in her bermuda shorts and lacy blue spaghetti strap top. A pair of plaid wedge sandals were on her feet.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked,breaking into his thoughts.

"Oh...yeah." He said as he walked over to her.

She gave him a sweet little grin and took his hand in her's. "It was nice meeting you Mr and Mrs Jax and you too Morgan!" She yelled as she pulled Michael out the door with her.

"She's good for him." Carly said as she wrapped her arms around her husband's waist. "Maybe she can help him,the way we can't."

-----------

"Michael,this is Alli Bhundari. My best friend in the entire world." Clare said,introducing him to a slender,dark haired,dark eyed girl. "Alli,this is Michael Corinthos III my new next door neighbor."

Alli smiled and shook Michael's hand. "Nice to meet you." She said before she turned back to Clare. "Do you think Connor will mind if Johnny comes with us?" She asked,speaking of her boyfriend.

Clare could only shrug. "I don't know. He doesn't really like change...or Johnny for that matter after that camping trip fiasco."

"Well yeah,but Johnny apologized for that." Alli replied as her boyfriend walked out the door of the bathroom at The Dot.

Clare just rolled her eyes and shared a look with Michael that made him laugh before she introduced him to Johnny DeMarco.

Moments later,Connor rushed in and stopped infront of them,glancing questionably at Johnny then at Michael.

KC Guthrie came in behind him and stopped short at the site of his ex-girlfriend sitting so close to some redheaded boy. He could feel the jealousy overwhelm him at the site.

Clare met KC's gaze awkardly. To be truthful,since their breakup two months ago,they hadn't really talked at all which made this situation all the more awkward but Clare swallowed hard and quickly introduced Michael to her ex boyfriend and to Connor.

------

After some lunch at the Dot,the six teens were at the Nelson/Simpson residence. Connor,Alli,KC,and Johnny were currently swimming while Clare had just climbed out and plopped herself down by Michael in one of the lawn chairs. "You gonna swim with us?" She asked as she flicked her wet hair from her big blue eyes.

Michael nodded. "Um yeah." He said as he swallowed hard.

"Michael?" Her voice had a curious yet serious edge to it now. "Why exactly did you move to Toronto?"

He looked into her shining orbs and knew that he could tell her,that she wouldn't judge him. "Over a year ago,I was shot."

**To be continued....**

**Next Chapter:Michael tells about the coma and his mother's decision to move,Clare comforts Michael.**


	3. Chapter 3

**She **

**Part Three**

Clare's eyes widened at his words and she looked at him in shock as he continued.

"A little over a year ago, I was out with my father and his girlfriend at the time. I was with him, checking out the warehouse where he worked. I don't remember much before I was shot in the head." Michael swallowed hard and looked down at his hands. "I was in a coma for a year after it happened. My mom decided that we should move because of what happened and because she wanted our family to be safe from my father's business. He does something---illegal for a living and mom and Jax decided to move us out here."

Clare uttered a small gasp beside him and reached out a hand and took one of his in her own.

He smiled at her gratefully as she rubbed small circles into his hand with her thumb. "Anyway, it turns out that his _wife,_" At this point he laughed bitterly. "Is the whole reason that I was even _in _a coma in the first place. She was angry at my father and had hired a guy to kill him, only the bullet ricocheted and hit me instead. A couple weeks after I woke up, I began having memories of when people came to visit me while I was in the coma. Claudia, my father's wife---she'd come and apologize and tell me that she was sorry and she never meant for me to get hurt."

"Does your father know?" She questioned carefully, staring up at him.

Michael shook his head. "No one does. Except you of course but----"

"Well why not? I mean...she deserves to go to jail, Michael." Clare said, struggling to understand as she rested a soft hand on his shoulder.

He let out a strangled laugh. "I really didn't feel like being the reason someone was murdered in cold blood." He whispered softly as his eyes glazed with tears.

She didn't say anything. She didn't know what _to _say. What could she possibly say to that? Instead, she scooted closer to him carefull and wrapped her arms around his quivering form in a comforting embrace.

Michael hugged her back as if she was his lifeline, closing his eyes as he rested his head against her's

The moment was broken when Alli's voice rang out, "Hey! Aren't you two gonna get in here and swim?"

The two teens laughed and grinned and Michael peeled the shirt he wore from his body, throwing it onto a chair as he watched Clare dive back into the pool. He laughed again and jumped in. For some reason he felt at ease with this group of people---especially Clare. Well...almost everyone. Clare's ex-boyfriend was glaring at him with green eyes that flashed with hate. He didn't know what the guy's problem was but it made him rather uncomfortable.

Alli, must've noticed how uncomfortable he was because she swam over to him. "What's wrong?" She asked with a frown. "How come you aren't swimming with us?" She followed his eyes to KC and let out a shocked laugh. "I swear. That boy acts as if Clare is some sort of possesion even though it is his own fault that she broke up with him."

"What made her break up with him?" Michael asked of her with a slight frown crossing his lips.

"He cheated on her with this backstabbing bitch who pretended to be our friend to get close to KC." Alli said carefully. "Clare...she is so naive about relationships and was so hopeful. She didn't have a boyfriend before him. She'd went to an all girls' private school before this year and anyway, when we all began Degrassi she and KC clicked immediatly. They began to date at the Black and White dance that winter and then...this past spring a new girl showed up at school. This guy that Clare's sister used to date caught Jenna and KC making out. Connor and I didn't want to speak to KC and we started ignoring him until Clare said that we shouldn't. That he deserved her forgiveness---which in my opinion and pretty much the whole schools opinion--he didn't deserve anything from her. She's way too sweet for her own good sometimes. But the thing is---they hardly even talk anymore. The only reason KC is here today was because Connor asked him to come." She sighed as she fixed KC with a glare.

Michael swallowed hard. "Why would he cheat on a girl like Clare? She's so..." He trailed off and flushed red.

Alli smiled at him a bit and smothered a giggle. "Well apparently, he said that Clare expected too much from him or something. I don't know. I mean...from what I saw, all she expected was for him to be the best person he could be. But she loved him despite the flaws and his past mistakes. In my opinion, he expected too much for her. Like wanting her to go to parties that had drinking and things her parents would never approve of. It's like he expected her to not study for a test just so that he could see her but that isn't Clare."

"Wow. That's just horrible." Michael replied softly.

She nodded and flipped back her hair. "She cried for weeks. She couldn't even look at him without crying. It was just---heartbreaking."

Michael's eyes fell on Clare who turned away from Johnny and Connor who she was playing water volleyball with. Their eyes locked on one another and Michael knew then that all he ever wanted to do was be there for her.

**Next Chapter: KC and Michael get in a fight about Clare, who breaks it up. Clare ask Michael why the two were fighting in the first place.**


End file.
